Adolescent
superheroes certainly aren’t unique anymore, being used a theme countless times
through the years, from Disney’s The Incredibles and Sky High to Marvel’s
X-Men. Although this isn’t a unique theme by now, it’s still
entertaining to see these teenage heroes struggle with their powers and the
usual host of growing pains one goes through.

Unfortunately, I’m unable to
think of any anime or manga off the top of my head that uses the
‘superhero-in-training’ theme to great success. An unpleasant surprise
considering all the ninjas, samurai, pirates and even shinigami I’ve seen
through the years.

Enter My
Hero Academia. The manga made its debut two years ago in Shonen Jump and has
already received a 13 episode-long anime adaptation by Studio Bones with a second
season currently in production; a testament to its popularity. It revolves
around Midoriya Izuku, his enrolment into U.A High School, a prestigious
training institute for superheroes and his growth as a hero.

One small catch:
he doesn’t have any superpowers in a world teeming with heroes and villains.
However, as one would expect, he does develop a superpower, hence his
successful enrolment, but in an unusual way.

Before
anything else, I would like to commend Studio Bones for faithfully adapting the
manga, taking 13 episodes to adapt 21 chapters. They’ve even managed to include
minute details, such as the supporting characters’ antics in the background and
the studio’s own take on several key scenes ended up improving the viewing
experience. An example would be the scene where superstar hero All Might takes
on Nomu, a villain that is essentially a humanoid bird on steroids.

My Hero
Academia’s cast of characters was the highlight of the anime for me. Each one
of them has a unique superpower, or ‘Quirk’, as the series calls it. From your
usual super speed and super strength to more outlandish ones such as the
ability to fire lasers from one’s belly button and the creation of cellophane
tape from one’s elbows.

For the main cast comprising of Izuku’s class in U.A
High School, they aren’t seasoned heroes yet so expect mistakes to be made
throughout the series, with the most common one being the students overusing
their powers. Hilarity ensues, even in dire situations.

The fight
scenes were top notch as well and I’m glad the anime resisted the urge to turn
every battle or trial into a bare-knuckled brawl. Izuku’s battles were
especially entertaining, with the young high schooler being required to use his
extensive knowledge of heroes and quick wit to overcome the lack of control
over his own Quirk. He even manages to minimise the disadvantages of using his Quirk
almost immediately after enrolling into U.A High School.

I’m definitely looking
forward to the second season of My Hero Academia, where the pace ramps up, new
villains get introduced and character development is increased for Izuku’s
class. Fortunately, there’s even enough source material for a third season but I’m
getting ahead of myself here.

Mangaka Spirits

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Milkcananime aims to increase the exposure of Anime, Manga and Japanese Culture through blogging and illustrative works. We want to contribute to the otaku community, and increase the level of love people have for anything Japanese!